Impressive Performance and Price.

The fully equipped Elite SC-81 AV receiver delivers unprecedented value in a 7.2-channel, multi-zone receiver with features that match its performance. Ideal for custom home entertainment installations, the elegant aluminum front panel and robust dual chassis house the power and finesse of Elite Class D3 amplification.

Powerful Amps with the Efficiency of Class D3.

The Elite SC-81 delivers seven channels of cutting-edge Elite Class D3 amplification for a total of 560 Watts multi-channel simultaneous drive. Rated at 120 watts x 7 channels (8 Ohms, 1kHz, 0.08% THD 2 Ch), this is significantly more simultaneous multi-channel power than the Class AB competition, the SC-81 reproduces music and soundtracks with uncompromising authority and realism, exploiting the full dynamics from any media source. And Elite Class D3 amplifiers are 4-ohm certified, so they safely power low-impedance speakers that other receivers aren’t made to handle. And they run cooler than conventional Class AB designs, using just a fraction of the energy while delivering more power with all channels driven. In fact, the SC-81 is so efficient, it proudly wears the ENERGY STAR® label.

HDMI for 4K.

The Elite SC-81 features HDMI, which offers increased bandwidth, resolution and frame-rate capability, supporting 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. With 7 HDMI inputs and 2 outputs, you've got plenty of connectivity options for the growing number of high-definition sources available.

Ultimate Sound Control with Advanced MCACC®.

Imagine having your own sound engineer precision-tuning your system to your living room — that’s what Advanced Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration system (MCACC) is like. With the push of a button, the Elite SC-81 calibrates your room sound using a microphone to monitor the sound environment and an equalizer to optimize and precision-tune each speaker to the room.

4K Pass-Through.

4K Ultra HD Pass-through is the recognized standard of ultra-high video resolution, boasting 3,840 x 2,160 (24 Hz/25 Hz/30 Hz) pixels or 4,096 x 2,160 (24 Hz) pixels. Every Elite AV receiver can pass through 4K video signals to any compatible display, offering the highest-quality image available — a full four times the current HD standard!

Get the Big Picture with Qdeo® Video Processing

Experience an exceptional, virtually noise-free picture regardless of the source. Qdeo video processing technology by Marvell and a 4K Scaler allows you to up-scale any video source to 4K Ultra HD resolution for improved picture quality and compatibility with next generation TVs, and makes Blu-ray™ Discs and DVD content look more detailed and cinematic than ever before.

Fits With Your Lifestyle.

The Elite SC-81 is right at home with Apple® devices, thanks to Made for iPod® and iPhone certification. Each is easily connected and charges your device with your normal charging cable and without the need for a dock. Enjoy music enhanced with album art, and when you receive a call, your iPhone will mute the music so you can talk.

ROKU® Ready.

An MHL 2.0 port supports the small but mighty Roku Streaming Stick, which lets you stream more than 1,000 channels of TV, tens of thousands of movies and other programming options for a limitless streaming experience.

AirPlay® Easy.

Enjoy effortless AirPlay connectivity through your compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod. [Stream your favorite artists straight from your PC or Mac® with Pandora® Internet Radio, or listen to a world of content with vTuner® Internet Radio. Up front, plug a memory audio device into the USB port for music or photos. And of course, this Elite receiver is Bluetooth®- and Wi-Fi®-ready with Pioneer’s optional AS-BT200 Bluetooth adapter and AS-WL-300 Wi-Fi adapter.

Spotify® Connect.

Spotify Connect lets you play and control Spotify on your devices. Choose music on one device and listen on another. At home, hit “Play” on your mobile device and hear high fidelity sound through the Elite SC-81. You can also control the music from your mobile phone.

Windows® 8 Certified.

Don't limit your media experience to your laptop speakers. Windows 8 “Play To” feature makes it easy to stream music stored on your PC to the Elite SC-81, so you can enjoy your entire media library on the biggest speakers in the house.

HTC Connect® for Android.

With HTC Connect, audiophiles who demand serious sound can enjoy their music — with CD-quality resolution — using their HTC smartphone, streaming high-quality wireless audio, video and photo streaming .for an effortless, out-of-the-box audiophile experience, all with the swipe of a finger.

Precision Playback in Multiple Formats.

Supporting high-resolution digital file formats such as AIFF, WAV, FLAC and Apple Lossless lets audiophiles hear their favorite music as it was originally intended. Apple Lossless reconstructs exact data from compressed data, with no discernible loss in audio quality. MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV and FLAC music files can be streamed from a compatible PC, laptop, tablet, DLNA® Server or smartphone.

Pioneer’s Ultimate Control App

Pioneer’s free of charge iControlAV5 turns your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or select Android device into a powerful wireless remote that controls everything from volume and input selections to advanced features like EQ adjustments and Internet Radio, and even streams music stored on your phone through the Elite SC-81 using the new “Push Player” feature.

Easy Setup with AVNavigator Built In.

Imagine an owner’s manual that actually communicates with your receiver, then walks you through the set-up process as you do it. Pioneer's AVNavigator is an interactive owner’s manual that uses your networked PC, MAC or iPad® device to communicate directly with the Elite SC-81, walking you through speaker set-up, Advanced MCACC room calibration, sound optimization, firmware updates and more.

A Perfect Solution for Your Home Theater.

The Elite SC-81 is built to last and offers versatile custom-installation solutions for home entertainment, with Multi-Zone capability that lets you set up three great systems. And because Pioneer is dedicated to custom installation, our relationships with custom-control providers like AMX®, Control4®, Crestron® and other leading brands makes the SC-81 the perfect centerpiece for whole-house systems.

Manuals & Brochures

*Spotify Premium account required where available
Specifications and design subject to modification without notice. PIONEER and the Pioneer logo,
MCACC and Advanced Sound Retriever are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation and are used by Pioneer & Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation under license.
The impedances indicated are actual values that speakers can present to an amplifier while
playing back music. They do not refer to the nominal rated impedances of speakers you use.
Phase Control is a trademark placed on a product with Pioneer’s Phase Control Technology
concept. The technology enables high-grade sound reproduction environment by improving the
phase matching for each of the components.
HDMI connection may not allow transmission of copyright protected material, depending on the
capability of the signal source.
HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered
trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
Spotify is the registered trade mark of the Spotify Group. Compatible digital mobile devices and premium subscription required where available, see pioneer.eu/spotify
Dolby, Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby
Laboratories.
DTS is a registered trademark & the DTS logo and Symbol are trademarks of DTS, Inc.
Blu-ray Disc is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
Windows and the Windows logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
Roku and the Roku Ready logo are registered trademarks of Roku, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
“Made for iPod” and “Made for iPhone,” mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod or iPhone respectively, and has been certified by the
developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPod or iPhone may affect wireless performance.
Apple, AirPlay, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iPod touch and Mac are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Lightning is a trademark of Apple Inc.The AirPlay logo is a trademark of Apple Inc. AirPlay works with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with iOS 4.3.3 or later, Mac with OS X Mountain Lion, and Mac and PC with iTunes 10.2.2 or later.
iOS is a trademark on which Cisco holds the trademark right in the US and certain other countries.
DLNA, the DLNA Logo and DLNA Certified are trademarks, service marks, or certification marks of
the Digital Living Network Alliance.
HTC, the HTC logo, and HTC Connect are trademarks of HTC Corporation.
“x.v.Color” is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
Qdeo is a registered trademark of Marvell World Trade, Ltd.
Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc.
MHL, the MHL Logo, and Mobile High-Definition Link are trademarks or registered trademarks of MHL
LLC in the United States and other countries.
Pandora Internet Radio is a registered trademark of Pandora Media, Inc.
vTuner is a registered trademark of Nothing Else Matters Software, Ltd.
Aureus is a registered trademark of Texas Instruments, Inc.
Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

Control4 and the Control4 logo are registered trademarks of Control4 Corporation.
Crestron and the Crestron logo are registered trademark of Crestron Electronics, Inc.
AMX and the AMX logo are trademarks of AMX, LLC registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Universal Remote Control logo is a registered trademark of Universal Remote Control, Inc.
RTI logo is a registered trademark of Remote Technologies Incorporated.
Savant Logo is a registered trademark of Savant Systems, LLC.
For details on iPod compatibility, visit http://pioneer.jp/homeav/support/ios/na/